Improvement in branding-stamps



drifted 4ptatea anni (attire.

ARMISTEAD M. DARRELL, OF -WASIIINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, SOLON C. KEMON, AND LYSANDER HILL, OF SAMEILAOE.v

Lea-ers Patent No. 111,436, dated January, nuff-#W- Thef Schedule referred to in these Iietter's Patent and making part of the same.

To all` whom 'it may concer-u Beit known that I, ARMISTEAD M. DARRELL, of

the city and county of` lVashingtou and District of' tion of die-plate;-

Figure 5 is a side elevation ofthe lower portion of iig. l; and.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view.ofvthe movable strip.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in theseveraliigures.

This invention relates to that class of stamps which indelibly marks an object by burning animpression into it with a heated die; and v The object of' the invention is to so improve the stamp that it shallbe self-heating, and, at the same time, be neat, durable, cheap, and convenient, the heating apparatus being as capable of' adaptation to small hand-stamps as to the largerelasses of' springstamps, &c.

This object -is accomplished by providing within the handle of the stamp a small lamp, the darne of which shall impinge against the reverse `side ofthe dieplate; and

The invention consists in such arrangement, and in the details of `construction which render the arrange- -meut practicable, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing- H is a handle, of wood or other material, secured to a casting, D, which-may. be of any v,suitable metal, and its lower end furnished with four or more uprights, d, within which is placed a wire-screen, C.

Centrallylocated within .the casting D is a metal case, B, havingr 'an upper tube, B', which is closed aty top by s crew-tap h, case B being closed at bottom by screw-tap a, to which is secured the wick-tube a', furnished-with a closely-fitting wick, b. y

Secured to the lower end of the uprights el is the die-plate A, which should be of such metal as will hold heat best. i

On said die-plate A are cast, or otherwise raised on its lower face, such letters or characters as may suit to be branded. on the stamp or paper.

On either side of casing D, and near the upper cud thereof, are ltwo lugs, to form the axes of4 the two small `rollers E', on which is reeled a metallic strip, E

E, (very thin,) and having the dates or other charac ters stamped out, so that, when they are under the heat of the lamp, which is above plate A, the metal strip thereunder will be heated, 'together with the plate A and band alike, all save where the date is stampedont, thus leaving it legible.

The rollers upon which the metallicA date-strip is reeled should be so arranged as, byoneturn of a thumb-screw or wheel, to feed out just enough of said metal strip as will bring each date alternate] under thecenter of the dic-plate, and the slack taken up on the other roller. l

The metallic date-'strip traverses under the dieplateA within a groove or channel countersunk in the low r face of said die-plate, so, as to bring the metal date-strip ush with. the lower face of the dieplate A.

Thereservor B, incased within the hollow of castling D, is filled 'with alcohol from the top of handle H, throughtube B', by removing screw-tap h.

rIhe modification shown in iig. 4 is designed to fi,- cilitate the heating of' the plate when the stamp is lying in a horizontal position, the die-plate being east with arecess in its reverse side, into which prciects the wick, so that in whatever position the stamp may lie the flame, besides being itself protected from currents of air, will constantly imping'e against the metallic plate and keep it uniformly heated` The air feeds around the end of' the wick-tube to the flame.

If' preferred, the handle'H could be so shaped and weighted as'to assume a vertical or nearly vertical position when laid down, and thereby keep the lam c? in constant contact with the die-plate. l

I do not, of course, confine myself' to the precise form of reservoir B shown in the drawing. If' preferred, any other convenient form may be substituted, and it may occupy the whole interior of' handle H, the latter, in such case, being triade of met-al or other suitable material. .y v Y It is obvious that, if' the above-described handstamp be suspended in a suitable frame having a spring to throw the stamp up as soon as the hand that deprcsses it is removed, we shall have a convenient spring-stamp.

I contemplate its use in that way, and for thatpurpose,- I may attach the device, that is to say, the material parts of it, `iu the manner substantially as described, to any form of apparatus employed in connection with spring-stamps.

Instead of filling Athe reservoir with spirits, gas

may bc employed, the end of a exible drop-tube being attached in place of the screw-tap h', and a gasburner being employed instead of the wick.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by passing across the face of the latter, 'co'untersunk in Letters Patent, isa. groove provided for lche purpose, substantially as 1. A hand-stamp, containing a. reservoir, B, Wick described. b, and die-plate- A',"eonstructed and arranged. subl AR1\[IS'.LEADYM.v DARRELL. stantially as described. WVitnessesz,

2. In a. stamp, the' ombiuat-ion of tbemovable SOLON C. KEMON,

met-allie strip E with the die-plate A, the former GHA's. PETQIT. 

